Heroes
Here’s Your Home. It’s On Fire.
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies looked at the Earth’s surface temperature and how it's changed over the last 120 years. What researchers found will scare you, and it should.
02.08.13
Balance out heavy holiday eating with some lighter—but still delicious—fare.
Lighten your calorie load with some delicious, nutritious food between big holiday meals.
The holiday season has arrived with its cozy vibe, joyous celebrations and inevitable indulgences. From Thanksgiving feasts to Christmas cookie exchanges to Aunt Eva’s irresistible jelly donuts—not to mention leftover Halloween candy still lingering—fall and winter can feel like a non-stop gorge fest.
Total resistance is fairly futile—let’s be real—so it’s helpful to arm yourself with ways to mitigate the effects of eating-all-the-things around the holidays. Serving smaller amounts of rich, celebratory foods and focusing on slowly savoring the taste is one way. Another is to counteract those holiday calorie-bomb meals with some lighter fare in between.
Contrary to popular belief, eating “light” doesn’t have to be tasteless, boring or unsatisfying. And contrary to common practice, meals don’t have to fill an entire plate—especially when we’re trying to balance out heavy holiday eating.
It is possible to enjoy the bounties of the season while maintaining a healthy balance. Whether you prefer to eat low-carb or plant-based or gluten-free or everything under the sun, we’ve got you covered with these 10 easy, low-calorie meals from across the dietary spectrum.
Each of these recipes has less than 600 calories (most a lot less) per serving and can be made in less than 30 minutes. And Albertsons has made it easy to find O Organics® ingredients you can put right in your shopping cart to make prepping these meals even simpler.
Enjoy!
Not quite green eggs and ham, but closeAlbertsons
Ingredients:
1 (5 oz) pkg baby spinach
2 eggs
1 clove garlic
4 slices prosciutto
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 medium zucchini squash
1/8 cup butter, unsalted
1 pinch crushed red pepper
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Get your cauliflower power on.Albertsons
1/2 medium head cauliflower
1 stick celery
1/4 small bunch fresh dill
8 oz. ham steak, boneless
1/2 shallot
1/4 tspblack pepper
1/4 tsp curry powder
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/8 tsp paprika
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Plant-based food fan? This combo looks yums. Albertsons
1 avocado
1/2 English cucumber
1 (12 oz.) package extra firm tofu
1 Granny Smith apple
3 Tbsp (45 ml) Ranch dressing
1/2 (14 oz bag) shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix)
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Sometimes you just gotta frittata.Albertsons
6 eggs
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
2 oz Parmesan cheese
1 red bell pepper
1/2 medium red onion
8 sundried tomatoes, oil-packed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Caprese, if you please.Albertsons
3/4 lb chicken breasts, boneless skinless
1/2 small pkg fresh basil
1/2 (8 oz pkg) fresh mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic
3 tomatoes
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 3/4 pinches black pepper
1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
These mushrooms look positively poppable.Albertsons
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1/2 (4 oz) log goat cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 sundried tomatoes, oil-packed
1 1/4 pinches crushed red pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
2 pinches salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Move over, avocado toast. English muffin pizzas have arrived.Albertsons
3 Tbsp (45 ml) basil pesto
2 English muffins
1/2 (4 oz) log goat cheese
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
3/4 pinch black pepper
2 pinches salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
This pita pocket packs a colorful punch.Albertsons
1/4 (8 oz) block cheddar cheese
1/2 bunch Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
4 oz oven roasted turkey breast, sliced
1/2 (12 oz) jar roasted red bell peppers
1 whole grain pita
3/4 pinch black pepper
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp mayonnaise
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Did we say, "Move over, avocado toast?" What we meant was "Throw some prosciutto on it!" Albertsons
1 avocado
2 slices prosciutto
2 slices whole grain bread
1 5/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Vegetarian chili with a fall twistAlbertsons
2 (15 oz can) black beans
1/2 (8 oz ) block cheddar cheese
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 green bell peppers
1 small bunch green onions (scallions)
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin purée
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 7/8 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes, visit albertsons.com/recipes.
He had no answers.
Brett Gaffney recalls how his grandma's Christmas gift nearly got him arrested at the airport.
Look, when grandma hands you a special mystery gift, and tells you not to open it until you get home, you do what grandma says. Consequences be damned.
That was certainly the case for Los Angeles-based actor Brett Gaffney. Only his obedience made for some awkward moments at airport security.
In a viral TikTok video, Gaffney is seen at the airport, a large briefcase nestled beside him, as he explains how his Grandma had accidentally been trying to get him “arrested” with her surprise gift. Turns out, this gift had more than one surprise to bestow.“I got stopped at the airport security, and you know what? It was because of this briefcase my grandma gave me as an early Christmas gift, and she said don’t open it until you get to California,” Gaffney recalls, noting that the briefcase was suspiciously heavy.
Despite him urging his grandma that he needed to know what was inside, Gaffney was still instructed to wait to open it. This didn’t fly with the TSA, unfortunately.
“They asked me what was inside, and I said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know…it’s a surprise'” Gaffney says in the clip. “They said, ‘What do you mean? You’re bringing a briefcase, and you don’t know what’s inside?’”
As one person playfully pointed out in the comments, “I feel like the words ‘I don’t know, it’s a surprise’ shouldn’t be uttered to TSA, let alone in one sitting 🤣.”
Eventually security did open the briefcase once it was flagged on the x ray conveyor belt, revealing the gift to a be: a vintage typewriter.
“Who am I, Tom Hanks?” Gaffney quips, making a nod to Hanks’ famous affinity for using typewriters. “Am I going to go to the park and write a whole book with a typewriter?”
Perhaps even funnier than Gaffney’s situation is that fact that it was the second typewriter airport security ahad seen that day, according to his caption.
Though it temporarily got him in some hot water, people loved Gaffney for trying to respect his grandma’s wishes.
“The fact u listened and didn’t open it is so innocent lmao,” one person wrote, to which Gaffney replied, “I’m a man of pure trust.”
Others chimed in about the gift itself. One person wrote, “there is a Great American novel to be written and now you have the tools.”
Another added, “as a fellow typewriter gifted grandson, I knew what it was the second I saw it. Yours looks much newer than mine.”
@brett.gaffney Airport Security said this is the second one they have seen today! #brettgaffneyforever #holidaytravel ♬ original sound - brett.gaffney
In some follow-up videos, Gafney shows viewers how he has indeed warmed up to his old school machine, which he admitted to being “so calming”. He even shared that it inspired the same feelings as the toys from his childhood that made him “play hooky” from school.
Or maybe instead of taking him back to adolescence, the gift has catapulted him into his golden years, as he jokes, “I’m becoming an old man…all I want to do is stay home and type on my typewriter.”
So there you have it—grandma gave a gift that keeps on giving.
The humble groundskeeper asked that the money be used for education, health, recreation or culture.
Geoffrey Holt left behind $3.8 million dollars to his town after his death.
With a never ending flurry of headlines recounting sordid tales of the wealthy, out-of-touch elite, it’s refreshing to see a story of personal riches truly being used to benefit others.
Odds are you haven’t heard of Geoffrey Holt. Holt lived a modest, frugal life, working as a groundskeeper to a mobile home park, where he also resided, in the tiny town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire.
Holt lived so frugally that he was known to wear threadbare clothes, ride his lawnmower about town in lieu of a car, and be more than content to spend his time either working or tinkering with his model automobile collection.
No one ever suspected this unassuming man was secretly a millionaire.
Behind the scenes, Holt had been a savvy investor. And when he died on June 6, 2023, he left behind $3.8 million in the bank—with every penny to go toward bettering the town, so long as the money was used for education, health, recreation or culture.
According to USA Today and the Washington Post, the town is most immediately considering purchasing an electronic ballot machine to honor their humble benefactor, who always voted in elections, as well as fixing the town clock and giving grants to replace uniforms. But with a population of only 4,200 people, the possibilities are endless.
Holt might have not craved any time in the spotlight, but it’s important that his good deeds are recognized. Not only to give credit where credit is due, but to instill a bit of hope that wealth can indeed lead to more generosity in the world.
Watch the full story, shared by CTV news, below:
People think she was right to do it, too.
The grandmother was suspicious.
A grandmother always felt her middle granddaughter Lindsay, 15, looked slightly different from the rest of the family because she had blonde, curly hair, while the rest of her siblings’ hair was dark “I thought genetics was being weird and I love her,” she wrote on Reddit’s AITA forum.
But things became serious after Linday’s parents “banned” her from taking things a step further and getting a DNA test. If the family was sure their daughter was theirs, why would they forbid her from seeking clarity in the situation? After the parents laid down the law, the situation started to seem a little suspicious.
“I told my son and [daughter-in-law] that there was something fishy around her birth she needed to know. They denied it and told me to leave it alone,” the grandma wrote.
Lindsay wouldn’t give up her quest. She approached her biology teacher, who admitted that it was “odd” for her to have such different traits. This confusion was too much for Lindsay, so she went to her grandmother for help. “She came to me distressed, asking me to buy a DNA test since she needs to know,” the grandmother wrote.
She had blonde, curly hair. But her siblings all had black hair.
The grandmother purchased a DNA test and it proved their suspicions. “Long story short, she is not her mother's kid,” the grandmother wrote. “My son got someone else pregnant and her bio mom gave her up.”
The interesting thing was that Lindsay was a middle child. So, the dad had a baby with another woman while he was with his wife. This revelation begs the question: How did the family suddenly have a baby out of nowhere without people being suspicious?
“They were on the other side of the country when she was born, and I met Lindsey when she was about 6 months old. Really not hard to hide the whole thing,” the grandmother wrote. “Our family has a history of miscarriages, so it’s common to drop news about a baby late in the pregnancy. They did the same with their oldest and didn't think anything about it.”
The big revelation has caused friction in the family. The family no longer talks to the grandmother, which makes Lindsay even more furious about the situation.
Should the grandmother have taken such drastic steps if she knew what could happen if her suspicions were true? The commenters on Reddit overwhelmingly supported the grandmother’s decision. The big reason was that Lindsay needed to know her family history for medical reasons.
"Your son and his wife suck for lying to her until she is 15 about something so important and trying to keep lying to her even after she obviously started to question things. There are medical reasons a person might need to know what their genetics are/are not, and if you hadn’t helped her, she would have found out some other way," Shake_Speare423 wrote.
Another commenter noted that protecting the parents’ lie wasn’t nearly as important as Lindsay’s mental health.
"People have a right to know their genetic heritage. Lying about adoption is linked to increased suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression. You put her safety and comfort ahead of your son’s preferences. Parental rights do not have greater value than a child’s right to access comprehensive medical care, and hiding an adoption does precisely that. Maybe some things, like a child staying healthy, should matter more than a parent's right to lie, gaslight and manipulate their child as they see fit," RemembrancerLirael added.
The commenters overwhelmingly supported the grandma for putting herself into an uncomfortable situation to protect her granddaughter’s mental and physical health. However, one commenter noted that she could have gone about it in a less polarizing way.
“Bit out of the norm for the responses here, but you should have gone through your son [and daughter-in-law] and convinced them. Told them that the biology teacher had highlighted that she had traits that didn't make sense, etc. and convinced them that Lindsey would find out either way,” PhilMcGraw wrote. “It would have allowed them to find a way to tell her without it being forced on them angrily. A DNA test is the absolute worst way to be told. I'm sure they would have much rather told her than let her find out by a DNA test if that is what was coming.”
Some folks didn't like the lighthearted joke.
Lilly and Evan share the joys of having 2 incomes and no kids.
The DINK phase of life is as carefree as can be. You’re with the love of your life. You have few responsibilities and that means more disposable income and time. So many people love the double income, no kids lifestyle that they are one of America's fastest-growing populations.
As of 2022, 43% of U.S. households were childless, a 12% increase over the past 10 years. Another study found that a majority of DINKs (51%) enjoy the lifestyle and say they have no plans for having any children.
This major change could be attributed to the attractiveness of having more money and time, but it also has a lot to do with the cost of raising children these days. A recent report from Lending Tree found that it now takes over $230,000 to raise a child over 18 years.
A Utah couple, Lilly Anne, 21, and her husband Evan, 21, created a video on TikTok that celebrates the DINK lifestyle and it’s gone viral, attracting over 3.4 million views. In the video, the happy couple shares all of the things they enjoy about having two incomes and no children.
@lillyanne_ Living the best life, the D.I.N.K life 😎 #dink #nokids #couple #fyp
“We're DINKs. We are going to get asked daily when we plan on having kids,” Lilly opens the video. “We're DINKs, of course, we are going to go out to eat every night after work,” Evan responds.
The couple then lists every thing they love about being DINKS including, never missing a football game, playing 18 holes of golf without worry, not having to hire a babysitter, or ask for financial help from parents. Most importantly, they get to spend money on themselves, not a kid.
“We are DINKs. We are going to get asked at every family event what we are doing with our life,” Lilly concludes the video.
The video appears to be very lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek, especially given that Lilly and Evan — like many others of their ilk — are often badgered by family members about having kids. The video is their gentle pushback to those who think they need to have children.
The video received a lot of angry responses from parents who didn’t get the joke.
"Likely to be together and maybe married then soon divorced,” Raymond wrote in the comments. "Life without kids is so vapious," D33g0 added.
"You also will die scared, alone and no one will care and no one will remember you. Good luck with that." FordFairlane wrote.
It was clear from the comments that many people missed the video's lighthearted humor. "Until I read these comments, I didn’t realize once you have kids, you lose all ability to recognize satire," a user wrote. "I will never understand people who get so upset about other people's choice to not have kids. so weird," Ash added.
The negative comments inspired Evan and Lilly to create a follow-up video: “Evan and I are watching you guys blow up my comment section over some lighthearted joke.”
@lillyanne_ The caption says enough..🫣 #dink #couple #fyp
Ah, the good old days, when you had to choose between the phone or the internet.
Sammy J took us on a trip down memory lane.
Those of us who remember life before the internet love nothing more than to share "back in my day" stories with today's youngsters who've never had to try to get somewhere without GPS. When we tell our kids about dial-up internet, they look at us the same bewildered way we looked at our parents when they talked about party lines. So much fun.
Nothing splits the generations like what was considered advanced technology during our formative years, and one comedian has encapsulated that divide in an ode to the 1990s.
Sammy J sang "You'll Never Know What It's Like" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and had the audience giggling along with recollections of life in the 90s. Driving around in the car with a big book of maps? Check. Making a collect call to tell your mom to pick you up but avoiding the collect call charges by telling her where you were instead of saying your name? Check. Agonizing over whether to take a photo because you only have 24 shots in your disposable camera? Check.
Younger generations will never know what it was like to live so primitively, it's true. But Gen X does, and this song is like taking a cold plunge into a pool of nostalgia.
Enjoy:
People loved the musical trip to the past.
"Thank you for taking me down memory lane! It was a blast " wrote one commenter.
But some couldn't agree on whether young people have it better today or had it better in the 90s.
"All true! If only our teenagers knew who good they have it!" wrote one person.
"Life was so so good in the 90’s I feel lucky it didn’t have to grow up in this era ," shared another.
"God I miss the 90s!" wrote another. "Both my daughters always say they wish they grew up in the 90s bc it seemed so much fun and it was!!"
Kids today really will never know what those days were like, but that's okay. They'll be singing their own "back in my day" songs someday and marvel at how much has changed since they were young.
Swift was named Time's 2023 Person of the Year and used it to lift up other women.
Tyalor Swift was recently names TIME's Person of the Year
On December 6, 2023, Taylor Swift was named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year, not only for her achievements as an entertainer, but as a changemaker.
In an exclusive interview with TIME, Swift spoke on a range of topics, including overcoming challenges in her career, navigating being “raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion” and key relationships that made her who she is today—one being her friendship with Beyoncé.For years the media has made the two chart-topping artists out to be “frenemies” at best, a well-known catalyst moment being during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards show when Ye, formerly Kanye West, interrupted a then 19-year-old Swift during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video to go on a tirade about how Beyoncé should have won.
However, both women would go on to challenge this narrative of rivalry with their support of one another, be it at other awards shows, networking events, online or making guest appearances at each other’s record-shattering concert film premieres.
And in her interview with TIME, Swift couldn’t help but gush over her fellow music icon.
“She’s the most precious gem of a person — warm and open and funny," she told TIME. “And she’s such a great disrupter of music-industry norms. She taught every artist how to flip the table and challenge archaic business practices.”
Swift then argued that any supposed rivalry between her and Beyoncé was merely a thinly veiled marketing ploy:
“There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé. Clearly, it’s very lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each other, even when those two artists in question refuse to participate in that discussion.”
But that needs to change.
"I've never felt like there was a need for female artists to be in competition. There's room for everyone to shine,” she said.It’s such a simple statement, but a powerful one—one that epitomizes a real turning point for how female friendships are portrayed in the media. More and more (think back to Jamie Lee Curtis hyping up Michelle Yeoh for her Golden Globe win earlier this year) we are seeing female peers swap out jealousy for being supportive of one another and celebrating each other's successes. In a world that still often divides women, this kind of solidarity feels pivotal.
.@taylorswift13 on stan culture and the internet-originated rivalry w/ Beyoncé.
— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) December 6, 2023
“There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé. Clearly, it’s very lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each… pic.twitter.com/76AhRFMiys
Swift continues to use her massive platform as a force for good—avocating for women and girls, challenging negative stereotypes and encouraging positivity. And especially this year, her work has inspired coming together in pure joy. It was for these reasons that TIMES’ Sam Jacobs said the magazine awarded her with the honor. Here’s to that well deserved recognition continued her message for generations to come.